The Day The Earth Stood Still IMAX result

LOS ANGELES, Dec 15, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ ----IMAX Corporation (NASDAQ: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Twentieth Century Fox today announced that The Day The Earth Stood Still, which opened number one at the domestic box office, generated an estimated $31 million, with 123 IMAX theatres contributing approximately $3.7 million to http://ecmisapp:9090/editor/blockedit.HTM#the domestic total. From Friday, December 12, through Sunday December 14, the IMAX release generated an impressive per screen average of approximately $30,000. Included in the weekend's performance were 38 locations equipped with IMAX's new digital projection technology. The film also had a strong international opening, grossing $532,000 from 20 IMAX screens, and it will ultimately play on 26 international IMAX screens in the weeks to come.

"We're very happy with the film's overall performance for the weekend and, with 19 of the top 20 engagements having IMAX screens, its clear that more moviegoers are taking advantage of The IMAX Experience(R: 34.65, +1.96, +6.00%) to make the film an extra special event," said Bruce Snyder, President, Domestic Distribution, Twentieth Century Fox. "We look forward to its continued success in both conventional and IMAX theatres throughout the holiday season."

"This strong opening demonstrates that people are still going to the movies and are willing to pay a premium ticket price for The IMAX Experience, despite the economic downturn," said IMAX Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler. "Twentieth Century Fox has once again delivered a box office winner during the holiday season, and we're very pleased with the initial results at IMAX theatres. We're particularly happy with the performance of our new joint venture digital locations, which are gaining a lot of traction, given the rapid pace of the rollout."

"The exciting action and stunning visual effects in The Day the Earth Stood Still are very conducive to The IMAX Experience and, as a result, Twentieth Century Fox has enabled the IMAX network to be part of another number-one debuting movie at the box office," said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "The combination of the studio's well-executed marketing and distribution plan,, the film's appeal to the tech-savvy 15-30 year-old demographic and the larger footprint of IMAX theatres is proving to be an effective draw, which we believe bodes well for the IMAX network as we head into 2009."

In THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, a contemporary reinvention of the 1951 science fiction classic, renowned scientist Dr. Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) finds herself face to face with an alien called Klaatu (Keanu Reeves), who travels across the universe to warn of an impending global crisis. When forces beyond Helen's control treat the extraterrestrial as a hostile and deny his request to address the world's leaders, she and her estranged stepson Jacob (Jaden Smith) quickly discover the deadly ramifications of Klaatu's claim that he is "a friend to the Earth." Now Helen must find a way to convince the entity who was sent to destroy us that mankind is worth saving - but it may be too late. The process has begun.